Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 9 November (BelTA) – IMF Executive Director for the Central and Eastern European constituency Michaela Erbenova believes the latest negotiations with Belarus had been a success. Michaela Erbenova made the relevant statement as she met with top officials, professors, and students of the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Belarus on 9 November, BelTA has learned.

“As an executive director, including one representing Belarus on the IMF Executive Board, I support the [Belarusian] government in its negotiations with the International Monetary Fund team. From this point of view it seems to me that the negotiations were very successful,” said Michaela Erbenova.

She mentioned that opinions are getting closer about a number of directions of the economic policy program, which would help perpetuate recent accomplishments in stabilizing monetary management policy and budget policy. “There is profound understanding of the fact that the common direction of future reforms should focus on raising the effectiveness of state-run enterprises, on export diversification, stabilization of the budget and monetary policies with a view to further reducing the vulnerability of the Belarusian economy, including the external vulnerability,” said Michaela Erbenova.

Michaela Erbenova also drew attention to external factors, which are conducive to the growth of the national economy. “The external factors are indeed very favorable right now. At the same time it is important to raise salaries in step with the growing effectiveness of enterprises, with the growth of productiveness so that export sector could sustain this growth in the future,” the expert concluded.